Surface modification is a technique that makes a material more resistant to its surrounding environment by changing the physical, chemical, or biological properties of the material. Surface modification is used in many industries. For example, in the automotive industry, surface modification may be used to increase the lifetime of an anti-corrosion treatment that is applied on the body of an automotive vehicle. In the biomedical industry, surface modification may be used to make a material more suitable for the subsequent steps of an integration process, such as for example, adhesion promoting treatments, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. Surface modification may also be used to bring a new useful functionality to an existing material to make it more suitable for use in different industries. For example, surface modification may be used to add anti-fog or non-stick properties to an existing material. Additional industries that routinely use surface modification are the power, electronics, textile, and construction industries.
Effective surface modification techniques require chemical compatibility between the material and chemical precursors that function as the modifying agent. Thus, chemical precursors that are routinely used for chemical interactions, such as covalent bonds, π bond, and electrostatic interactions, may be ineffective for surface modification if the chemical precursor and the material are chemically incompatible.